Two questions I guess...

First, how would I find a good home inspector? Are there home inspector trade associations that maintain websites? How would I figure out who was good? Thorough? Comprehensive? In the past, for the 3 personal homes I bought, I took the realtors' recommendations. I was just whelmed in all cases - not overwhelmed, not underwhelmed, just whelmed. And on my current home, it didn't occur to me to get a sewer inspection, which cost me $5K later.

Second, and more specific, any recommendations in the Albuquerque area? I'd want someone who could inspect hands-off - I would not be able to attend the inspection.

Third (OK, I know I said two), I'd want a home inspector, sewer inspector (which I assume is separate).... Anything else?

Thanks in advance!

Irv.

I've never been blown away by a home inspection. They're all kind of blah..

The realtor should have told you that you might want to get a sewer inspection. Most of the time I don't do them but in some cities they're needed.

You can also look online or reach out to other investors in your area on BP and see which inspectors they use for their projects. 

Hi Irv,

I typically recommend 3 inspections for all homes - general, termites & dry rot, and sewer scope. Should be able to get all of those for about $700-800. If a property warrants other inspections based on what is seen, I’ll get a contractor on site to let me know.

As for people whom I think do a bang up job - Joe Lebron with General Home Inspection and John Noreen with Integrity Inspection; both can access the property if you’re not there. Sewer scope - Arnie’s Duct Scoping. Termite - Preventive Pest Control (ask to see if they have lockbox access, I don’t think they do).

PM me if you have any other questions, happy to help out.

@Irv Rollman :

I found my inspector on AngiesList -- he was a previous flipper and he doesn't work with realtors.  He did an excellent job and documented everything with lots of specifics.  This guy gets excited about making realtors and flippers fret.  Give that website a try, and smaller companies tend to be successful for me.

Most inspectors are ‘fine’. They check the boxes, find the big things. After you do a few of them, you can probably find almost as much as the average inspector.

Ask around. Get recommendations (not from your realtor). If they have construction experience, or some type of technical background, it’s a good thing.

You’ll also learn what’s important and not important in terms of ‘extras’ in your area.